Arch supporter



Patented Jan. 12, 1937 ...Illu-Niri: vSTATES PATENT oFFicE ARCH SUPPORTER Vincent R. Casey and George A. Larsen, Portland, Oreg., assignors to C & L Method of Foot Correction, Portland, Oreg., a corporation of Oregon 2 Claims.

Thepresent invention relates to the art of Orthopedics'v and it particularly has reference to appliances for the correction of the arches of the foot, both the metatarsal arch and the main or longitudinal arch.

'Ihe invention has for its objects to provide an appliance which is sufciently resilient and flexible to permit the foot of the user to flex and move, thus exercising and building up the weakened'muscles; to provide an appliance which, due toits peculiar construction and method of lmanufacture, is impervious to either hot or cold water and,therefore, 4may be used in any sort of foot covering, wading boots, or other foot coverings which are subject to moisture, either from the perspiration 'of they foot or from outside sources; to provide anap-pliance which nts perfectlyjand keeps the foot during actual use of the appliance in proper condition and the bones of the footin yproper alignment. n

The best way toconstitute the supporter is by the following steps taken in the order mentioned: I

First-A wax impression of the foot is taken.

Ordinaryy dental wax isfslightly heatedso as to make the same pliable and'after the bones of the foot Iare placed in proper Valignment therwax is appliedto the foot, thusobtaining anjexact reproduction of the foot as it should V,be normally and as it should be to give Ycomfort and proper use to the patient. l 4 Secondi- A plaster of Paris cast is taken lfrom the wax impression. Ordinary plaster of Paris of proper consistency is poured over the wax'impression ofl the footgiving an exact cast upon which the appliance can be molded.

Third:-The cast is covered with gauze. After the plaster of Paris is thoroughly set there is placed about the same a piece of light gauze to be used for the first covering.

Fourth:-The gauze covering of the cast is treated with a glue-like substance. After the plaster of Paris cast has been covered with the gauze, the same is coated with a glue-like binding substance (which will hereinafter be more specifically dened) so that the gauze becomes rmly and evenly attached to the plaster of Paris cast. Two coatings preferably of this glue are applied some four or ve hours apart and the cast is allowed to harden for a period of 24 hours after the last application of the glue.

Fifth:-A piece of pig skin is shaped to conform approximately to the contour of the foot impression and roughened to more readily absorb the glue into its pores. This pig skin is then coated on one side with the glue and is cemented thereby to the top of the gauze covered cast Vand permitted to stay there for approximately 2 hours. After the cemented pig' skin has been permitted to harden for a period of ap- `l5 proximately 1 hour there are prepared small pieces of leather to correspond to the metatarsal impression in the cast and these pieces of leather which, depending upon the depth of the metatarsal impression, may consist of several pieces, 10 are placed over the metatarsal impression in the pig skin covered cast and by means of a suitable clamp are forced firmly and evenly down into the metatarsal impression and are held firmly in place by the clamp. The clamp is permitted to 15 remain in position for a period of at least 24 hours. The result of this operation is to force the pig skinl covering into the metatarsal impression, .being thus in position and permitted to stand for a period of 24 hours the glue cover- 20 ing will have thereupon firmly cemented the pig skin into the metatarsal impression. The clamp and the several small pieces of leather above referred to are thereupon removed. r

SiXth:-The exposed face of the pig skin is 25 thencoated with two or three coverings of glue, permitting each to harden for a period of approximately 8 hours.

Seventhz-The cast is then wrapped in a cover of canvas (preferably ten ounce canvas) the can- 30 vas -having been previously thoroughly coated on the inner side with glue. The canvas is carefully pressed down and molded over the cast so that it will be smooth and properly adhere at each point. It is then permitted to set for a 5 periodV of at least 24 hours until the glue hardens and the canvas is firmly fixed upon the cast.

Eighth:-The canvas is then treated with glue. There are applied three additional coatings of glue over the canvas, each being permitted to set between applications approximately 8 hours.

Ninthz-Another layer of pig skinis then cemented to the canvas. This pig skin is shaped 45 to the approximate outline of the foot impression and prepared as in the fth step above mentioned and applied over the canvas in the same manner as the piece in the fth step was applied.

Tentln-After removal of the clamp, etc. the 50 pig skin is properly skived and treated with two or three coats of glue with 8 hour intervals between them for hardening.

Eleventh:-A second envelope of canvas is now prepared and placed around the cast in the same 55 manner as that in the seventh step above mentioned. y

Twelfthc-After the second canvas envelope has been cemented down rmly and smoothed over the pig skin and the cement hasv duly hardened, the last canvas is covered with a coating of the glue into which has been stirred or mixed aluminum dust so as to give a finish to the appliance. This gives the appearance of silver plating. Different colors may be obtained by the use of different colored dust or pigment.

Thirteenth:-After the mass resulting on completion of the twelfth step has been allowed to set for a period of 24 hours a final coat of clear glue is put over the top of the aluminum colored glue and permitted to set for 24 hours. The appliance is then complete on the cast.

Fourteenth:-The cast is then removed from the appliance by cutting through the canvas covering and glue on the sides at a place where the plaster cast meets the appliance, i. e., along the outline or marginal edge of the appliance.

Fifteenthz-After the plaster of Paris cast has been removed the appliance is ready to have placed thereupon a leather covering. This covering is prepared from a piece of soft calf skin properly cut to be placed on the appliance face which was against the plaster of Paris cast. Before the leather covering is placed upon the appliance the top edges of the appliance are skived and buffed so as to remove any possible irregularities and also that the covering will firmly adhere thereto. After this is done the top calf skin covering is pasted upon the face of the appliance opposite to that having the aluminum coloring by means of rubber cement and the appliance is then complete.

In the accompanying drawing to which reference is made as apart of this specification- Figure 1 is a plan View of the finished appliance looking at the same from the underside.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the nished appliance looking at the same from the upper side.

Figure 3 is a detail cross section on a magnified scale taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 3 represents the gauze layer, 4 and 6 the pigskin layers; 5 and 'I the canvas layers, 8 the calfskin top layer on which the wearers foot rests. While I have referred to and prefer to use pig skin, other kinds of leather which may be found the equivalent of pig skin may be used in lieu thereof.

The glue-like substance herein referred to as glue is a substance known under the name Kayon and is manufactured by the Kayon Secondz-The resiliency and flexibility of the appliance permits the foot of the user to flex and move, thus exercising and building up the weakened muscles, a thing that a rigid appliance would not permit;

Third:-Due to its construction the appliance is impervious to either heat or cold and therefore may be used in any sort of foot covering, wading boots or other foot covering subject to moisture, either from the perspiration of the foot or from outside sources;

Fourthz-The appliance being built upon a mold or cast of plaster of Paris manifestly ts perfectly and keeps the foot during actual use of the appliance in proper condition with the bones in alignment.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought the complete construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

What we claim is:

1. In an arch supporting appliance, a body composed of successive layers of gauze, pig skin, canvas, pig skin and canvas, secured together with glue, a calf skin layer glued over the exposed face of the rst gauze layer, and a coating of glue mixed with a coloring matter over the exposed face of the canvas layer.

2. In an arch supporter, a body composed of the following parts in successive layers as an integral structure, viz: a layer of gauze, a layer of pig skin, a layer of canvas, another layer ot pig skin, and another layer of canvas, theseveral layers being arranged in the order mentioned, the last canvas layer constituting the bottom of the supporter and a soft leather surface layer glued over the gauze layer and itself constituting the top of the supporter. the body being of a shape to conform to the foot of the wearer, and the successive layers being glued together.

VINCENT R. CASEY. GEORGE A. LARSEN. 

